August 11, 2008. Luncheon Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House. Our guests will be our two NDVI students and their parents. The two students, Danielle LaVille and Gabe Anzivino will speak.
August 12-17. Serra International Convention, Aguas de Lindola, Sao Paulo State, Brazil.
Grand Rapids Serrans Dennis Leiber, Mark Kubik, and Moderator Father Ed Hankiewicz will attend. Dennis Leiber will serve as the delegate from our club.
August 18, 2008. Board Meeting, 12:00 Noon at Louis Benton Steak House.
August 22, 2008. Muskegon Serra Club Shrimp Dinner, 5:30 p.m. at Muskegon Catholic Central High School.
August 25, 2008. Serra Picnic, 5:30 p.m. at the Boy Scout Center, Walker Avenue NW. There will be a special presentation of Citizen of the Year award to Ralph Hauenstein. President Pam McKenzie has composed the following invitation:
When: Monday, August 25, 2008--rain or shine.
5:30 p.m. Gather and tour the grounds.
6:30 p.m. Dinner.
8:30 p.m. Campfire with S'mores.
Cost: $15 per c0uple or $25 per family..
Cooks: Nate McKenzie, Mark Kubik.
Where: Boy Scout Headquarters
3213 Walker Avenue, Walker, MI
Directions: Take I-96 toward Muskegon. Exit at Walker Avenue. The Boy Scout sign
is at the end of the exit on the right. Follow signs to the brown building. Plenty
of parking is available.
RSVP: Please respond by Friday, August 22 with number attending.
An RSVP is required and may be sent to Joe Westdorp at 866-6024 or
jawestdorp@chartermi.net
Save these dates:
October 10-12. Fall Conference for Regions 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7, Wheeling, West Virginia. Registration fee $125 before August 1, $150 thereafter. Spouse registration fee is the same. Please make your lodging reservations directly with the desired lodging facility. Our host facility is Oglebay Park's Wilson Lodge, 1-800-624-6988 $125/night reduced, $155 afterward. Please mention that you are attending the Serra Conference and make your reservation by August 8 to guarantee room availability and receive the discounted rate. Nearby lodging is also available at the Hampton Inn 1-304-233-0440 ($102 or $119), and Marriott Spring Hill Suites at 1-304-232-8903 ($109 or $129). Make conference checks payable to Serra Super Regional Conference.
October 13, 2008. Member-Guest Reception, 5:30 p.m., Louis Benton Steak House. There will be no noon meeting on that day.
November 8, 2008. All high-school age young people are invited to attend the Diocese of Grand Rapids inaugural God Persistently Seeking (GPS) Youth Rally on November 8 at Catholic Central High Schol, 319 Sheldon Avenue SE, Grand Rapids. Look for additional details to follow in the coming weeks on the diocesan Web site at http://www.dioceseofgrandrapids.org/ and in Faith GR Magazine. The Board will decide in the next several weeks whether our club will be represented at a display booth . The cost of renting such a space is $30.
December 2, 2008. Vocations Dinner. The location has been moved to Cathedral Square. Details TBA.
Leaf Raking at Consolata. The exact date of this annual event remains to be announced, but it will take place late in October.Vocations Chair Len Gross announces the following Adoration Schedule. This schedule extends through June, 2009.
September 5, 2009. (Friday). St. Isidor. Mass at 8:45 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
October 3, 2008. (Friday). IHM. Mass at 9:00 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
November 7, 2008. (Friday). St. Stephen. Mass at 8:30 a.m. Adoration 9:00-10:00 a.m.
December 5, 2008. (Friday). SS. Peter and Paul. Mass at 7:00 p.m. followed by Adoration. Benediction 9:50 p.m.
January 2, 2009. (Monday). Holy Spirit. Mass at 8:00 a.m. followed by Rosary. Adoration 9:00-10:00 a.m.
February 5, 2009. Sacred Heart of Jesus. Adoration 6:30 p.m. Benediction 7:00 p.m.
March 6, 2009. St. Isidore. Mass 8:45 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
April 3, 2009. (Friday). Mass at 9:00 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:30 a.m.
May 1, 2009. (Friday). Mass at 9:00 a.m. Adoration 9:30-10:00 a.m
June 5, 2009. (Friday) SS. Peter and Paul. Mass at 7:00 p.m., followed by Adoration. Benediction 9:50 p.m.
Please note that there is also Adoration following a 7:00 p.m. Mass at SS. Peter and Paul every first Friday except in July and August. The schedule is always as follows:
7:00 p.m. Mass, followed by Adoration, with 9:50 p.m. Benediction. This information provided courtesy of Barbara King.
Two thank-y0u notes:
Dear Pam,
On behalf of the diocese of Grand Rapids, I send my heartfelt thanks to the members of the Grand Rapids Serra Club for their service to the liturgy, Saturday, June 7, 2008. Their presence at the Ordination Mass was generous and deeply appreciated.
This year's Ordination Mass was blessed with good weather outside and loving spirits on the inside. Your group welcomed and seated all visitors and guests with great courtesy and commitment to ministry. In addition, it seems that many of the Serrans were already acquainted with some of the guests at the Mass (not including the many priests whom they knew), and this contributed an extra measure of welcome.
I am aware of the generous nature of the Serra Club, especially regarding this diocese, and I cannot send enough thanks for your labor of love in regard to this particular diocesan liturgy. Bishop Hurley joins me in sending thanks. We are truly appreciative of your effort and your kindness.
Best regards, with thanks,
Dr. Patricia Hughes
Director, Pastoral Services Division
and.....
July 24,2008
Dear Serrans:
Thank you very much for the opportunity to attend ND Vision. I learned the importance of a strong relationship with God as well as a deeper meaning of the word "vocation."
Thank you for your generosity in awarding me a scholarship to attend this program. God bless you!
Sincerely,
Danielle LaVille
More Vision Week News. Serrans Nate McKenzie, Bob Gabridge, Len Gross, Beverly Shields, and Tom Vereecke attended the very inspiring pilot follow-up program on Thursday. The emphasis was on getting students to do something to help the community and becoming active in the Catholic faith.
Something wonderful happened on May 7, 2008. Editor's note: For quite some time I have pondered whether the article I am about to reprint from the National Catholic Register is closely enough related to vocations to merit an appearance in this letter. You, the readers, can be the judges, but I can't get this story out of my mind. Not only does it recall the astounding beauty of the Requiem, but also it gives witness to the power of God working through His instruments: Pope Benedict XVI, Mozart, and the Chinese musicians, and Father Tham, to name a few. And who could resist thinking about the implications for vocations in a converted China? At any rate, I hope you enjoy ithe article as much as I did. Also, because China is hosting the Summer Olympics this year, the article may help to provide another perspective on China and its people.
Evidently in response to Pope Benedict XVI's invitation to restore diplomatic relations between China and the Vatican, the Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House Chorus performed Mozart's Requiem on May 7, 2008. Legionary Father Joseph Tham was among those present.
...The press saw this (event) as possibly a warming of relations between China and the Vatican...I saw it as something more: Chinese musicians praying in the universal language of art and the Mass in the heart of the Catholic world.
(In Mozart's Requiem) the choir and the orchestra ensemble sing out the different parts of a funeral Mass in Latin, interspersed by the voices of the soloists: soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor and base. I could not help thinking to myself: "If only the musicians knew what they were singing (and praying) for!" Being enraptured in the beauty of the voices, I find myself praying along, and on behalf of the Chinese people.
In the entrance hymn, Mozart begins the piece dramatically. At one point, the chorus repeatedly intoned Exaudi, exaudi orationem meam (hear, hear my prayer). Many times, without even knowing it, we ask God to hear us. There is in the depth of the human heart a yearning to be heard.
The Chinese people, represented by the choir, without knowing what they were saying, are crying out to the heavens to be heard.
In the Latin Mass, the only words in Greek that have been preserved from the ancient liturgy are melodiously repeated: Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison... I found myself praying: "God have mercy on me, and on the Chinese people who did not know you."
We then arrived at the spectacular sequence of Dies Irae, Dies illa (The day of wrath! That day!) It was a rather frightening warning about the reality of the Last Judgment.
The choir continues alternating with the soloists: Quantus tremor est futurus, Quando judex est venturus, Cuncta stricte discussurus! (What trembling there shall be when the Judge shall come to weigh everything strictly!).
As if to placate the divine ire, the stanzas followed with a plea for the mercy of God: Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? Quem patronum rogaturus, Cum vix justus sit securus? (What shall I, a wretch, say then? To what advocate shall I appeal when even the just man is barely safe?)
The tune turns to a very sweet melody of petition Salva me, fons pietatis! (Save me, fount of merciful love!). ..
Recordare, Jus pie, Quod sum causa tuae viae. Remember, merciful Jesus, that I am the reason for the path you trod!) The choir sang under the immense sculpture of the Risen Christ arising among the tortuous branches symbolizing the tree of life. It appeared to me as if Christ is stretching his saving hands to embrace China under the benevolent gaze of the Pope.
The most moving part for me came from the Offertory: Quam olim Abrahae promisisti, et semini ejus (as once you promised to Abraham and to his seed). The word promisisti was repeated many, many times. Yes, God has promised us his salvation through our Father in faith. He will not abandon us; he will not abandon a quarter of the world's population...
The rest of the Mass was sung, in Mozart's characteristic composition of majesty alternating with sweetness: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,..Osanna in excelsis...Agnus Dei...
At the end, the applause lasted for almost 10 minutes. The Pope was visibly pleased. He went up to greet and shake hands with the director and the soloists. One of them must be Christian, because he kissed the Pope's ring. Benedict XVI then gave a speech thanking the musicians and organizers of the event. He noted how the interpretation of Mozart by Chinese artists "brings together their own musical talent and Western music..."
Last, the Pope sent his greetings to the entire Chinese people, and "with a special thought for those of your fellow citizens who share faith in Jesus and are united through a particular spiritual bond with the Successors of Peter."
The Olympics will no doubt be a great tribute to the human spirit. But this calling out of the human spirit to the divine is imbedded in my memory now.
Pray for China with the Pope--and pray with China in the Mass.
Legionary Father Joseph Tham teaches bioethics at Rome's Regina Apostolorum College.
As for the Promisisti, he writes, "(God's) promise is mysteriously and providentially united to our mission to spread Christ's Kingdom of love. Surrounded by 400 others of my Legionary family, I felt this to be a part of our call to evangelize China, my extended family and patria.
From the National Catholic Register, July 6-12, 2008
Let us pray for the success of Father Tham's call. nk
Pope Benedict XVI calls World Youth Day a new Pentecost.
Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 27, 2008 (Zenit.org). World Youth Day was a new Pentecost from which the pilgrims were sent to be apostles to their contemporaries, says Benedict XVI..."I still have this extraordinary occasion," he said, "in which I experienced the youthful face of the Church, on my mind and in my heart: It was like a multicolored mosaic, formed by young men and women from every part of the globe, all gathered together in the one faith in Jesus Christ...
Commenting on the week of events, the Pope called the catechetical sessions "moments of reflection and recollection that were indispensable for making the event one that, instead of being a merely external manifestation, would leave a deep impression on the conscience."
"The evening vigil, in the heart of the city, beneath the Southern Cross," he said, "was a choral invocation of the Holy Spirit; and at the end, during the large Eucharistic celebration last Sunday, I administered the sacrament of confirmation to 24 young people from all different continents, 14 of whom were Australian, inviting all present to renew their baptismal vows.."
World Youth Day was "transformed into a new Pentecost," the Pontiff said, "from which the mission of the young people, called to be apostles to their contemporaries, was relaunched."
A Message from the President.
Dear Serrans:
We are in the "dog days" of summer. I hope everyone has had at least one opportunity to enjoy some summer fun. Nate and I have had some interesting times painting our kitchen. You all know how a painting job can grow, and grow, and grow. I have spent the month of July on the project with Nate supervising, and we have it done. Now we have the rest of the house to get back in order.
Our club committees are busy planning for the coming months. Len Gross and other St. Stephans are sharing our Serra story after all lthe masses this weekend. We hope to do the same for other parishes. Thanks to Mark Kubik, Monsignor Gus Ancona, and Joe Westdorp, we have a fresh new brochure to hand out.
The Vocation Dinner plans are underway. Please mark the date and start asking your friends and family to attend on Tuesday, December 2, 2008. This is our major fundraising event and it is essential for all members to do their best in selling three or four tickets. There will be an early bird signup, so please watch for more details in the coming weeks.
It has come to my attention that new members are getting confused by hearing about international conventions and regional conferences. I will take a short stab and try to explain. Serra International is the world wide organization to which we belong as the Serra Club of Grand Rapids. The International has divided the world into councils. We belong to the United States Council of Serra International (USAC). Within the United States there are groups of states forming regions. These regions hold regional conventions, and the International holds an annual meeting. Approximately every third year the International Convention is held outside the United States (this year in Brazil, next year in Omaha, Nebraska). Both the International and Regional conferences offer optional opportunities to learn more about vocations and what other clubs do. Our Grand Rapids club has been blessed with members who are interested in participating in the larger areas of the organization. Because of this participation, we are learned more and have been exposed to more. I hope this explanation helps.
Keep Dennis and Margaret Leiber, Mark Kubik, and Fr. Ed in your prayers as they travel to Brazil on August 14. We look forward to hearing about their adventures in September.
August 1 is the last call for early bird registration for the Fall Regional Conference. Remember also that lodging reservations are due by August 9 for a reduced rate. For additional information call Chris Freeman at 1-800-523-2153 or visit the website at SerraSupReginal@aol.com
The past few weeks, I have enjoyed every weekend Mass and the parable stories. Each parable is unique, and we have had many great discussions around them. We all have many blessings and gifts to be thankful for especially the gift of being a Serran and working for vocations for our church. See you at the picnic, and summer blessings!
Pam McKenzie
Secretary Joseph Westdorp has prepared an updated version of our roster. It is available online and will be sent under separate cover with this newsletter. If you would like a paper copy, please let Joe know.
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